I’m afraid I’ve been rather quiet lately. First there were the UK proofs for The Mortal Word, and then there were the US proofs for The Mortal Word, and in the background I was slogging away at book six . . . and in a most depressing heatwave, too. (I know that by a lot of standards, the recent UK temperatures are comparatively minor – especially in the north of England, where I am – but trust me, it was quite bad enough for my tastes.)

I’m going to be at Nine Worlds in London at the end of next week – so if you’re there as well, do say hi. I will be doing a presentation on the Takarazuka Revue, though given it’s 9am on Saturday morning, I will understand if you can’t be there – I know I’m going to be hitting the coffee heavily beforehand . . .